System and method for adaptable mobile interface

ABSTRACT

A system, method, and computer program product for automatically adjusting the output of presentation content based upon vehicle conditions. The method determines whether one of a plurality of vehicle conditions exists, such as conditions related to vehicle speed, rate of change in vehicle speed, rate of change in vehicle direction, vehicle emergencies, cellular phone or headphone activation, radar detector activation, noise level decibels above a certain value, etc. The method determines an output format based on the determined vehicle conditions. The method outputs at least a portion of the presentation content based on the determined output format. The determined output format includes display format information, such as text font or icon size information or map detail. The presentation content can also include audio content.

The following application is a continuation of and claims priority toU.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/929,680 filed Oct. 30, 2007, whichis a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/970,841 filedOct. 20, 2004, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 10/454,390 filed Jun.3, 2003, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 09/955,475 filed Sep. 17,2001 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,591,168 issued Jul. 28, 2003 which claims priorityto U.S. Provisional No. 60/316,650 filed Aug. 31, 2001 and areincorporated by reference in their entirety herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the field of vehicle userinterfaces.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various vehicle devices exist that are designed to provide a vehicleoperator with travel-related information. For example, a display coupledto a global positioning system (GPS) may be used to present to thevehicle operator a detailed map showing the vehicle location, a desireddestination, and the geographic details of the surrounding area. Undercertain situations, the vehicle operator has the opportunity to studythe map in exact and thorough detail. An example is a parked vehicle.There are other times, however, when the vehicle operator is too busyoperating the vehicle to safely view the displayed information, letalone study the displayed information in exacting detail. This isparticularly the case where the vehicle operator is in the midst of aparticularly taxing circumstance, for example, driving in heavy traffic,driving at high speed, or otherwise distracted by an emergency situationor telephone conversation. In such situations, the display presentationdistracts the vehicle operator because the operator focuses attention onthe details shown on the display.

Therefore, there exists a need to provide valuable and timelytravel-related information to a vehicle operator while minimizingpotentially dangerous distractions to the vehicle operator.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a system, method, and computer program productfor automatically adjusting the output of presentation content to a userbased upon one or more vehicle conditions. The method includes receivingpresentation content for output to a vehicle operator or other systemuser that may include display format information in a particular textfont or icon size, map detail, or audio content. The method determineswhether one of a plurality of vehicle conditions exists, includingconditions related to vehicle speed, rate of change in vehicle speed,rate of change in vehicle direction, vehicle emergencies, cellular phoneor headphone activation, radar detector activation, noise level decibelsabove a certain value, etc. A vehicle emergency condition could indicateevents ranging from anti-lock braking system activation to radiatoroverheating to outside temperature variations that correlate to icy roadconditions. The method determines an output format for the presentationcontent based on the determined vehicle condition. Then, the methodoutputs at least a portion of the presentation content based on thedetermined output format.

In accordance with still further aspects of the invention, the contentis received from a server over a network link. At least a portion of thenetwork link is a wireless link.

As will be readily appreciated from the foregoing summary, the inventionprovides a method for automatically adjusting output content based oncurrent vehicle conditions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The preferred and alternative embodiments of the present invention aredescribed in detail below with reference to the following drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the components of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating the present invention performed bythe device shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of a specific exampleof the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention provides a system, method, and computer programproduct for modulating output over output devices (e.g., display,speakers) based on present vehicle conditions (e.g., speed, rate ofchange in speed or direction, emergencies). When the system determinesthat the vehicle requires a more attentive operator, the method of thepresent invention manipulates the format of information and contentpresented to the vehicle operator via the output devices.

FIG. 1 shows a system 20 within a vehicle for performing the presentinvention. System 20 includes a user interface 22 having a microphone 24for capturing the user's voice; a display 26; speakers 28; and aninterface entry 30 for allowing the user to perform various interactivefunctions. System 20 also includes a processor 32; a global positioningsystem (GPS) 34 for determining precise vehicle locations; and acommunications device 36, such as a cellular modem, for transmitting andreceiving wireless information. System 20 is also coupled to receiveinformation from other vehicle systems (not shown), such as aspeedometer, an engine, or a braking system.

FIG. 2 illustrates a preferred process performed by system 20illustrated in FIG. 1. At block 60, system 20 and, more specifically,processor 32, receives presentation content. The presentation content ispreferably received at communications device 36 from a servertransmitted over a network (not shown). At decision block 62, processor32 determines if any vehicle emergency condition exists based oninformation received from the other vehicle systems. If processor 32determines that a vehicle emergency condition exists, processor 32 stopsall output of received presentation content to any one of the componentsof user interface 22 (block 64). Examples of a vehicle emergencycondition that may cause the processor to stop output presentationcontent to user interface 22 are signals received from the engine thatindicate engine overheating or a signal that indicates the operator hasapplied brakes to the point where an anti-braking system is activated.

If, at decision block 62, processor 32 determines that there is not avehicle emergency condition, processor 32 receives vehicle conditioninformation (block 66). The vehicle condition information comes from anumber of sources that generate signals, such as GPS 34 or aspeedometer. At block 68, processor 32 outputs presentation contentthrough user interface 22 based on the vehicle condition information.This step involves determining the substance and format of thepresentation content to display on display 26 or broadcast on speakers28 of user interface 22. For example, when the vehicle is parked,processor 32 presents all or nearly all of the received presentationcontent. As the vehicle condition changes, for example, the vehiclepicks up speed, processor 32 changes the presentation contentinformation that is shown on display 26. The change in presentationcontent may also involve shifting presentation of information fromvisual display to audio broadcast as output through speakers 28. In oneexample, the presented content is a full detailed map of the vehicle'slocation that includes directions to a previously requested destination.Based on the vehicle speed, or the rate of change in vehicle speed ordirection, the detail shown on the map will be altered. As the vehiclespeed increases, the detail shown on the map is reduced, for example, toinclude only the vehicle's present location in relation to nearbystreets or intersections. Some or all of the presentation content, ormap directions, may be translated to audio format and broadcast to thevehicle operator via speakers 28. In other examples, change in vehiclecondition may result in alteration of the font or size of text, iconsand graphics presented on the display, as well as increased or decreasedaudio broadcast. FIG. 3 illustrates an example, based on vehicle speed,of how processor 32 changes the output that is presented over userinterface 22.

After blocks 64 and 68, processor 32 returns to block 60 to continuereceiving more presentation content. In this embodiment, presentationcontent is processed in real-time from the time of reception from theserver over the network to the output of presentation content to avehicle operator through user interface 22. In an alternate embodiment,the presentation content can be received all at one time and stored byprocessor 32 before any determination is made of how to present theoutput. In another alternate embodiment, if another person other thanthe vehicle operator wishes to view the presentation content, presentedoutput is set to whatever level of detail is desired.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of the process performed at block 68 ofFIG. 2. At block 80, vehicle speed information is determined, forexample by reference to the vehicle speedometer. If the vehicle's speedis less than or equal to 25 mph, processor 32 generates a detaileddisplay to present on display 26 of user interface 22 (block 82). As thespeed of the vehicle increases, the amount of detailed visualinformation generated for display is reduced. Thus, if the vehicle speedis greater than 25 mph but less than or equal to 40 mph, processor 32generates a display with less visual information than was generated forvehicle speeds of less than or equal to 25 mph (block 84). When thespeed is greater than 40 mph but less than or equal to 70 mph, processor32 reduces not only the amount of detail to be displayed on display 26,but also increases the font size of any text included in the displayedpresentation content and changes the color to make it easier for anoperator to view (block 86). When the speed is greater than 70 mph,processor 32 stops generating display information for presentation ondisplay 26 and switches to a pure audio presentation for output over thespeakers 28 (block 88). The specific speed ranges described areexemplary only. The exact trigger speeds may vary according to variousfactors, such as road conditions, vehicle specification, vehicleoperator skill, etc., as well as user preference. Likewise, the outputformat of the presentation content may be varied according to userinterface hardware or software constraints as well as user preference.

In addition to the example described above with reference to overallvehicle speed, presentation content can be automatically adjusted basedupon one or more vehicle conditions related to rate of change in vehiclespeed, rate of change in vehicle direction, cellular phone or headphoneactivation, radar detector activation, noise level decibels above acertain value, radio/CD player in use, TV/DVD console in use, turnsignal, etc. The vehicle conditions are determined by vehicle systems,such as the vehicle speedometer, steering, engine, and braking andacceleration systems. Vehicle systems may also include additionalcomponents, such as temperature, humidity, wind speed and precipitationgauges, a compass, clock, etc. These additional vehicle systemcomponents may be integrated with or separate from system 20, so long asthey are capable of being monitored by system 20. The method of thepresent invention automatically adjusts the output of presentationcontent based upon a monitor of these vehicle conditions, or acombination of these vehicle conditions. For example, system 20 monitorsvehicle braking and acceleration systems with reference to an internalclock to determine the rate of change of vehicle speed. If vehicle speedis increasing or decreasing rapidly, system 20 automatically reduces theamount of detail provided in visual presentation content, and maytransfer some or all of the content to audio presentation. In anotherexample, system 20 monitors movement of the steering wheel and vehicledirection with reference to a compass and a clock to determine rate ofchange of vehicle direction. If vehicle direction is changing rapidly,system 20 would again automatically reduce the amount of detail providedin visual presentation content, as well as transfer some or all of thecontent to audio presentation.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed, as noted above, many changes can be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, as noted above,the trigger event or threshold used to determine the output format forpresentation content, as well as the specific output format, might varyaccording to different factors as well as user preference. Accordingly,the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of thepreferred embodiment. Instead, the invention should be determinedentirely by reference to the claims that follow.

1. A method for automatically adjusting output content responsive to oneor more vehicle condition, the method comprising: receiving content foroutput; determining a vehicle condition; determining an output formatbased on the determined vehicle condition; and outputting at least aportion of the received output content based on the determined outputformat.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined output formatcomprises display format information.
 3. The method of claim 2, whereinthe display format information comprises text font size information. 4.The method of claim 2, wherein the display format information comprisesicon size information.
 5. The method of claim 2, wherein the displayformat information comprises map detail information.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the received content comprises audio content.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein receiving content comprises receiving thecontent from a server over a network link.
 8. The method of claim 7,wherein at least a portion of the network link is a wireless link. 9.The method of claim 1, wherein determining a vehicle condition comprisesdetermining if the vehicle condition is an emergency.
 10. The method ofclaim 1, wherein determining a vehicle condition comprises determiningvehicle speed.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a vehiclecondition comprises determining rate of change in vehicle speed.
 12. Themethod of claim 1, wherein determining a vehicle condition comprisesdetermining rate of change in vehicle direction.
 13. A computer programproduct for automatically adjusting output content, the productcomprising: a means for receiving content for output; a means fordetermining a vehicle condition; a means for determining an outputformat based on the determined vehicle condition; and a means foroutputting at least a portion of the received output content based onthe determined output format.
 14. The computer program product of claim13, wherein the determined output format comprises display formatinformation.
 15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein thedisplay format information comprises text font size information.
 16. Themethod of claim 14, wherein the display format information comprisesicon size information.
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein the displayformat information comprises map detail information.
 18. The computerprogram product of claim 13, wherein the received content comprisesaudio content.
 19. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein themeans for receiving content comprises a means for receiving the contentfrom a server over a network link.
 20. The computer program product ofclaim 19, wherein at least a portion of the network link is a wirelesslink.
 21. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the meansfor determining a vehicle condition comprises a means for determining ifthe vehicle condition is an emergency.
 22. The computer program productof claim 13, wherein the means for determining a vehicle conditioncomprises a means for determining vehicle speed.
 23. The method of claim13, wherein the means for determining a vehicle condition comprises ameans for determining rate of change in vehicle speed.
 24. The method ofclaim 13, wherein the means for determining a vehicle conditioncomprises a means for determining rate of change in vehicle direction.25. An apparatus for automatically adjusting output content, theapparatus comprising: a receiver configured to receive content foroutput; a user interface; and a processor coupled to the receiver andthe user interface, the processor comprising: a first componentconfigured to determine a vehicle condition; a second componentconfigured to determine an output format based on the determined vehiclecondition; and a third component configured to output at least a portionof the received output content to the user interface based on thedetermined output format.